Nightmares
by Lo613
Summary: The Doctor is deadset on avoiding sleep, and Donna wants to find out why. Rated for mild language and angst.


**Welcome, internet traveler! I hope you enjoy the story! Disclaimer- I do own Doctor Who. In my time line at least, it's in your future. And, in the future, Jenny, and Jack, and Martha are all brought back. But, like I said, it's in your future so I don't own it yet, meaning that for the time being, I am forced to say that I don't own Doctor Who. **

* * *

Donna finished pulling her shoes off, placing them on the bed that she sat upon in her room on board the TARDIS. She changed into her pajamas and let out a breath, relaxing some. She then proceeded to open the door to her room and step out into the ships hallways.

Earlier that night, after the daily adventure that she and the Doctor shared, she had noted on just how throughly exhausted the Doctor looked. He had glanced up at her, dismissing her concern without a seconds thought, claiming, just as he always would, that he was perfectly fine, he didn't need as much sleep as humans did, and would you please quit worrying about me, I can take care of myself.

Donna hadn't taken the dismissal. She hadn't missed it, she'd just chosen not to accept it. Instead, she'd pressed the issue further, until, a few minutes later, the Doctor had given up arguing, agreeing to catch a few hours of rest. Staying holed up in the console room, Donna had reminded him, didn't count as rest. Sleeping was resting.

Grudgingly, the Doctor complied. He'd told Donna that he was off to go and sleep, before disappearing out thought the exit of the console room, presumably heading to his own room. Donna had followed suit, and that was where she stood now, making her way back to the control room to make sure that the Doctor hadn't snuck back there once he thought he was free from Donna.

She stepped into the console room and glanced around. Nothing seemed out-of-place; There was the ever-present noise of machinery working, the Doctor glasses were placed in the pilot's chair where they'd previously been, and the Time Lord himself was fiddling with controls on the console.

That man.

" Thought you were sleeping." Said Donna, stepping forward, more into the line of sight of her friend. The Doctor snapped up, looking surprised.

" I thought _you _were sleeping." He responded, standing straight up from the console, rubbing the back of his neck nervously with one hand and pocketing his sonic screwdriver with the other.

" Not quite."

" Mm. I see that.

Silence.

" Off to your room you go then. Mind you, I'm following to make sure you actually make it this time around."

" Donna, this isn't-" Started the Doctor. Donna cut him off.

" Don't even start with me, Spaceman. You may be able to fool everyone else, but I can see through your entire act. You need to sleep."

" I don't need to sleep as much as you. I'm a _Time Lord." _The Doctor argued. Donna raised a skeptical eyebrow.

" You're about ready to pass out from exhaustion, is what you are, Doctor."

" I'm perfectly fine."

" You almost got yourself killed today." Donna said heatedly. " Because you were distracted and couldn't think straight."

" That was-"

" I'm not letting you die because you're too bloody stubborn to sleep when you need to and end up making some stupid mistake that you never would have made if you weren't about to fall over from exhaustion!" Donna flared. The Doctor met Donna glare with his own stony stare. After a moment, he dropped his gaze to his shoes, deciding that they were far more interesting than the conversation at hand. Or maybe he just thought that he could sooner win an argument with an inanimate object such as his shoes, than win an argument with the fiery red-head.

" Please, Donna." He pleaded, his voice low. Donna shook her head firmly.

" Nope. You're going to sleep, whether you like it or not."

No reply.

"...I get the feeling you're not going to like it." She noted.

Still no response whatsoever.

Finally, the Doctor looked back up at Donna.

" Fine." He quietly agreed. " Fine...I'll go and...sleep."

Donna let out a relieved sigh.

" Thank you." She said. " Glad you're being sensible."

She glanced at the Time Lords face and noticed that there wasn't the slightest look of amusement on his features. He seemed to notice Donna studying him, and automatically brightened the look on his face, putting his mask back into place perfectly.

" Off we go, then" He declared, turning sharply, shoving his hands into his coat pockets, and heading towards the TARDIS hallways. Donna didn't fail to notice the false energy the Doctor was exerting, nor did she miss the way the Doctor stumbled a bit and almost fell while making for the hallway, having to lean against the wall for support for a moment before continuing. Donna sped up her pace slightly until she was side by side with the Doctor, watching him carefully.

"...Why do you hate sleeping so much?" She eventually asked.

"...It's too human." The Doctor answered. " I don't like it. I look like a human, talk like one, eat like them, everybody thinks I'm human until I tell them otherwise. I suppose, not sleeping is a way to differentiate myself from you."

"Hm. And then, you push not sleeping to the point where it's not healthy. Because it's too human."

The Doctor nodded a bit as they continued walking.

" You could at least doze off for an hour or two sometimes. I mean, that wouldn't be too bad, would it?"

Silence. Donna glanced over to her friend who was staring straight ahead, eyes deep and thoughtful;, clearly not focusing on the conversation at hand.

" Doctor." Said Donna, her voice pointed. The Doctor snapped back into reality again.

" I-...No-" He faltered. " I mean yes." He corrected hurriedly. " I suppose I could."

Donna arched an eyebrow.

" Then why don't you?" She inquired.

" Just- I just don't."

And that's about when Donna clearly recognized that the Doctor was lying. Why and about what, she didn't know. But it was pretty obvious to her that he was.

"...Right." She said after a moment, deciding not to press the subject. The Doctor stopped suddenly, gripping a knob and then stepping into the room.

" And here we are." He said, sitting on a bed that was pressed against the wall opposite to the door, untying shoes and placing them next to the foot of the bed. He stood up and shrugged off his coat, laying it next to the red Converse. The Doctor gazed down at himself and gave a slight grunt. " I won't even bother." He muttered. " I'll just sleep in my clothes."

" Suit yourself. Just get in the bed." Donna instructed. The Doctor held the Temp's look half a moment more and then broke the eye contact, collapsing into his bed.

He was out before he hit the mattress.

oOo

Donna watched as the Doctor passed out right before her eyes. What was the deal with him? He said he didn't need to sleep, and then _this_ happened. He claimed that he didn't like to sleep because it was too human, but that was a lie, for whatever purpose.

So what was the real reason?

After a minute, Donna took a step forward and pulled the TARDIS blue bed sheets over the Doctor, taking care not to wake him. Not that she actually expected for that to happen. His body was far too tired to be rustled awake by anything less than a freight train hitting the ship. (Though it was possible) She finished tucking the Time Lord in, and gave him a satisfied look before stepping out of the room, turning off the lights and gently closed the door as soft as she could manage.

Donna maneuvered her way through the TARDIS hallways, making her way back to her room. She arrived a short time later and walked in, closing the door and laying on the bed before falling into unconsciousness herself.

Maybe, with the Doctor finally asleep, she could sleep without being woken up by something urgent. Perhaps she could get some proper shut-eye for once.

oOo

Donna awoke to the screams of the Doctor.

At least, she assumes it's the Doctor. She's never heard him scream before, much less like this, but it sounds like him and he _is_ the only other person on board the TARDIS. For the first moment, she's confused and still mostly asleep, but once the Doctor screams agin she's wide awake, scrambling to get up out of her bed, untangling herself from sheets. She got up and dashed out of her room, racing through the ships many corridors, mind whirling. What had just happened? Why was the Doctor screaming?!

She stopped running in front of the door to the Doctors room, almost but not quite surprised that she's already there, and pushed it open without so much as a second thought. She stepped back in and turned on the light, closing the door and scanning the room. Nothing seemed out-of-place, everything was just as it had been a few hours. Except the Doctor. He was tangled in the sheets and blankets atop his bed, face screwed up, covered in a thin sheen of sweat, entire body writhing. His screams had reduced to hoarse yells by now, transpiring between the shallow and shaky breaths he took.

Donna made her way over to the Doctor quickly and placed her hands on his shoulders as firmly as she could manage at the moment.

" Doctor!" She called his name as she shook him in effort to pull him out of him fitful sleep. " Doctor, wake up!"

One more shake and the Doctor's eyes snapped open. He looked around in a frenzied fashion before settling his gaze on Donna. The Temp studied her friend for a moment. His eyes were wide, full of fear and panic and confusion alongside a hundred other emotions. And the intensity. The way the Doctor was looking at her, the incredible intensity in his eyes, it made Donna uneasy.

The Doctor blinked and broke the eye contact he had been holding, focusing on trying to untangle himself from the mess of bed sheets he had gotten mixed up in, his face red from shame. Donna's eyebrows drew together as she watched her friend attempt to complete his task. His hands were shaking violently, making it nearly impossible for him to manipulate the sheets in the way he wanted to. His breathing too, she hadn't quite believed it to be possible, but his breathing was faster than before; Shallower, more shuddering.

What was happening?

Donna placed a gentle hand on the Doctor's shoulder, causing the Time Lord to stop what he was doing and glance back up at her.

" Doctor?" She asked cautiously

" What?" The Doctor asked shortly, standing up from his bed and throwing the blankets off of him, staring at Donna.

" Are you alright?" Donna ventured.

" I'm always alright." The Doctor replied quietly.

"..."

" No, really. I'm fine." The Time Lord assured.

" You sure don't seem fine."

This time, it was the Doctor who fell silent.

" What just happened?" Donna asked.

" I - I was asleep. I don't know what happened." The Doctor said. Lied. The Doctor lied. The way he was acting, of course he knew what had happened, his mind was still on it. Whatever had happened was still having a profound effect on him.

" You were screaming." Dona supplied, glancing the Doctor over for any hints to help her with this but finding nothing besides the shaking of his hands. " And yelling. And shaking a lot. Sort of like you're doing now." She noted, her voice pointed.

" It was nothing, Donna. It _is_ nothing." The Doctor dismissed softly.

" Obviously it was something, and that something was bad enough to make you scream. _What was it?"_

"...Just a nightmare."

Donna arched an eyebrow.

" That's one hell of a nightmare."

" I'm 907." The Doctor snapped. " My nightmares tend to be pretty bad."

Now, now he was telling the truth, Donna recognized. Perhaps she could actually get somewhere with him now. He expression turned to one of compassion.

" What was it about?" She asked, her voice carefully benign.

" Just...Stuff." The Doctor answered, staring at the floor. He swallowed thickly." Bad stuff. " He glanced back up at her. " I'm alright now, though."

Donna looked at the Doctor face for a fraction of a second and immediately shook her head.

" No you're not."

" Yes, I am. Really. Absolutely fine."

" You're crying, Doctor."

A pause as the Doctor wiped his eyes and then looked at his hand, covered in the evidence of tears he hadn't known he was shedding.

"...Oh. That's a bit interesting." He muttered.

" A bit." Donna agreed. " So you can give up the whole act of being fine, and go ahead and tell me what your nightmare was about so we can sort this out."

"...Things."

" Well, that cleared up a lot, thanks. Think that you could maybe be a little more specific than that?"

The Doctor sighed and sat on the edge of his bed, running both hands through his hair relentlessly.

" The Time War. Gallifrey burning, my race dying, me being the cause of it all. The Master. Adric. Losing Rose. Hurting Jack. The Year That Never Was. Martha leaving me. Ace. Daleks, and Cybermen, and every horrible thing I've ever done. It doesn't exactly make for a good nights sleep, Donna." He said, his voice defeated and tired.

"...No, I suppose not." Donna agreed after a short pause. The Doctor gave a sniff and wiped at his eyes again. He shuttered, clearly feeling the effects of the sheen of cold sweat that covered his entire body. Donna watched as the shudder racked through his body in addiction to his trembling, her eyebrows knitting together. Suddenly, the Doctor glanced up at Donna, his eyes burning with anger and pain.

" They don't ever go away." He said, his voice closer to be a growl than not. " Ever. I can't ever fall asleep without having all these nightmares. Not even for five bloody minutes."

"...Do you want to talk about it at all?" Donna offered, her voice reassuring.

" No." The Doctor replied with no hesitation. " What I want, is to be able to fall asleep." He said, laying on his back, atop the mattress. " Actually sleep. With proper dreams, or no dreams. I don't care, just as long as I don't get these _nightmares."_

There was a short pause as Donna considered an idea that had popped into her mind.

"...Would it help if I slept with you?" She asked. The Doctors head popped up in surprise; Eyes wide and hair wild.

" I'm sorry?!" He asked, his voce squeaking slightly.

" Not like that." Donna assured, just a hint of laughter in her tone. " Not even anywhere _close _to there, Time Boy."

The Doctors head plopped back on to the bed, evidently out of relief.

" What I meant," Continued Donna. " Was that it might help if we were...close together or something. Maybe you wouldn't get as many nightmares."

"...Might help." The Doctor muttered. "...I suppose we could try." He agreed.

" Well then. There we are...Want to change out of your suit, maybe?" Donna suggested. The Doctor glanced at his suit, checking what Donna was referring to. His suit was indeed damp with sweat, evenly soaked through the entire garment. He gave a small nod.

" Right." He agreed. The Time Lord stood up and unbuttoned his top quickly, placing it on the floor next to his bed before starting in on his undershirt. Donna, seeing where this was going, turned her back to him, facing the walls instead.

" No shame..." She halfway muttered. The Doctor gave a slight scoff at this, but other than that remained silent. Donna heard more clothes being dropped to the floor, and some drawers being opened and closed. Several moments later, the Doctor spoke.

" I'm decent." He declared.

" You sure about that?" Donna questioned.

" Yup." Came the reply. Donna turned back around and was indeed met by a decent Doctor. He bore a pair of black athletic shorts and a plain blue t-shirt. He shifted his gaze to meet Donna's.

" Shall we, uh," He cleared his throat awkwardly. " You know."

Donna nodded.

" No funny business, Space Man." She warned, pointing a finger at him. The Doctor put his hands up in surrender.

" Never." He responded. The Time Lord fell onto his bed, laying on the left half on his back, on top of his covers, as Donna flipped off the light switch and then joined him, burying herself underneath the blankets.

" You're not going to get underneath the covers?" Donna asked after she had settled.

" Nah." The Doctor replied. " I'm still all warm."

" Mmm." Donna rolled over on her side to face the Doctor, allowing for a single arm to wrap around his thin torso. The Doctor stiffened at this initially, but after a moment he became less tense,m every muscle in his body relaxing.

" G'night, Doctor." Donna murmured.

" Goodnight, Donna."

oOo

Hours later, the Doctor's eyes slowly blinked open. He was still on his back, Donna's arm still wrapped around him. If he hadn't known any better, he'd have believed that almost no time at all had passed since his last bout of consciousness. But the rejuvinated feeling that he had was telling him that he had been asleep for quite some time.

" You're finally awake, then"

Oh yes. Donna was telling him that too. The Doctor sat up and looked at his companion.

" How long have you been awake for?" He questioned.

" Maybe ten minutes."

" Right."

The Time Lord rolled out of the bed and stood, facing Donna.

" Have anymore nightmares?" Donna asked, watching the Doctor as he ran a hand through his hair.

" No." The Doctor answered. He looked at Donna, his features softening. " Thanks, Donna. Really. Thank you." He said, his voice sober.

" Of course." Donna replied. She too, got off the bed. The Doctor glanced around the room, not quite sure of what to do.

" So..." He trailed off.

" I'll go get dressed, I suppose." Donna said, breaking the silence.

" Brilliant idea!" The Doctor confirmed. " I'll meet you in the console room, and then we'll see where we end up, what do you say?"

" That's good." Donna agreed. She opened the door to the room and stepped out, closing it once more when she was in the hallway.

The Doctor made his way over to his dresser and began digging through them, searching for his alternate blue suit so he could meet Donna and they could carry on with their day.

oOo

Donna entered the console room, her gaze immediantly settling on the Doctor, who was idly playing with some of the TARDIS controls, clad in his blue suit, as always.

" Hello, then." Donna greeted. The Doctor's head shot up.

" Ah, Donna!" He said, his voice euphoric. " I've got an idea of where we could go today!"

Donna arched an eyebrow as the Doctor continued.

" Thyraxis, it's at the edge of the Adhopkian galaxy, beautiful fields-"

Donna cut him off.

" Is that why you don't like to sleep?" She asked, ignoring the slightly startled look on the Doctor's face.

" I'm sorry?" He asked, his voice forcibly light.

" I said, is the stuff from last night why you don't like to sleep?" Donna repeated. The Doctor's hands froze on the controls and he nervously rubbed at the back of his neck.

"...Yeah." He eventually replied. " I don't like the nightmares, bloody _hate_ them, so...As a result, I guess I don't like sleeping much...Um..."

" Right." Said Donna, understanding. " I- I was just curious. That's all. Anyways, you were saying?" She said, repromting the Doctors glow of monologue. Glad to be off the subject, the Time Lord's face brightened again.

" Yes, about Thyraxis. Nice fields, nice planet, nice race of people in general,-"

The Doctor continued jabbering on about Thyraxis, piloting them. They arrived, left the TARDIS, a had a good day exploring the planet and relaxing, throughly enjoying themselves the entire time. Back on the TARDIS, Donna ordered the Doctor to sleep again that night in order to get him caught up on his rest. The Doctor had argued some, but his resistance had quickly ceased to exist once Donna had assured him that she would be there too, sleeping right next to him.

Half an hour later, the pair collapsed into the Doctor's bed. They exchanged a quick goodnight, and within five minutes, Donna was out.

With the both of them asleep, side by side, it seemed as if everything was alright, and nothing could ever go wrong; That the Universe could fend for itself, as least for a while, allowing its protectors some much deserved rest.

There were no nightmares.

There were no cries of war and destruction.

No.

The Doctor dreamed.

* * *

**Wow. That took me, approximately, a bloody long time to type. But I'm really glad I got it done, and am really quite pleased with the way it turned out. Ah, leave a review, pretty please! I love reviews, they are most of the food I eat everyday. Also, thanks for reading, also consist of a part of my diet. Anywho, leave a review if you so wish, don't if you don't, have the best of days, and DFTBA!**


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